fbpx

Winning Top Talent

Four Keys to Success from the Experts

By Matt Shore

In today’s competitive job market, simply making someone an offer hardly guarantees the person will take it. A company needs to inspire prospective candidates from the initial interaction all the way through the offer.

This is necessary for all employers, because candidates with high-demand skillsets typically have their pick of competitive offers. It is not uncommon even for desirable companies to have an attractive opportunity turned down multiple times, which ultimately costs the company both time and money.

Given these realities, consider these keys to success from the experts at the talent search and interim resources firm StevenDouglas:

Have a solid game plan: It’s important to develop a strategy when beginning your search for an important hire. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Foremost, you need to make sure there is internal alignment on the position: reporting structure, title, responsibilities, experience required, which employees will be part of the interview and hiring process, and the potential growth path of the role.

Invest time to develop a well-thought job description and have it reviewed by all stakeholders to assure that they are in agreement. This document will help alleviate miscommunication with candidates on expectations and also serves as an excellent source of accountability once they are on your team.

Diligence and market alignment: Employers often miss out on top talent simply by not understanding current market factors. After achieving alignment on the role, make sure your company is in line with the market and that you have budgeted the appropriate compensation package.

You can save time by knowing what it takes to attract top talent and focusing your process on candidates you can afford. Great candidates want great offers. The surest way to have an offer rejected is to lowball a candidate.

Run an inspiring interview process: Everyone can agree the process should determine whether candidates are qualified to do the job and have the DNA to be successful with the company. What employers sometimes lose sight of is the chance to leverage the process to inspire the prospect about the company, culture and opportunity.

Candidates go to interviews knowing they have only one chance to make a good first impression. Companies have only one chance, too. Treating candidates unprofessionally — such as having them wait in the lobby for lengthy times, not being available for a phone interview, or rescheduling several times — will leave a poor impression.

Companies can also leave candidates uninspired if they have the wrong people doing the interviews. Interviewers not only should have questions for the candidate, but they also should leave time to sell the company and opportunity to the prospect.

Your interview team should be enthusiastic and able to communicate what a great organization this is to work for. The interview process is a two-way street and you want a candidate to leave with excitement.

Even if you decide not to pursue them, treat them with respect and make sure someone closes the loop with them by thanking them for their investment of time. If you do these things, you will have made a fan who will have great things to say about the company.

Act with urgency: There’s a saying that “time kills all deals.” If a candidate is interviewing with your organization, he or she is likely interviewing with others. The best candidates are getting multiple offers simultaneously.

It’s important to capitalize on the momentum created during the interview process, and a decisive job offer is the best indicator of how committed you are to have this person join the team. If you wait too long, you run the risk of losing the candidate to another company. If you know what you are looking for and you find that person, act with urgency, make a great offer and close the deal.

Hopefully, you’re already using these strategies in your search for talent. If not, they’re the keys to success moving forward.

Matt Shore is president of StevenDouglas, which helps clients find top talent and candidates find new opportunities. Contact him at 954.385.8595 or mshore@stevendouglas.com.

You May Also Like

Pride Week Festival Begins With Tribute to Pulse Nightclub Survivor

Miami Beach Pride’s week-long festivities will commence with a special tribute to the LGBTQ+ community honoring the victims of the tragic shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. A ceremonial “flip the switch” lighting event will illuminate the iconic 1111 Lincoln Road parking garage in pride colors as a sign of solidarity. It is the second

Surfside luxury condo sees notable sales

Arte at Surfside is making waves. There’s, of course, the news that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are renting at the 16-resident luxury condominium. And there’s the December penthouse sale for $33 million. But other sales are heating up the oceanfront property at 8955 Collins Ave. developed by Alex Sapir and Giovanni Fasciano (both pictured

Up in the Air: A Discussion

In a dynamic region where residents are typically on the move, everyone is wondering about the health of the airline industry and the safety of airports and airplanes. Everyone is eagerly looking for signs about when air travel will begin to normalize. Against this backdrop of COVID-19, South Florida Business & Wealth organized a virtual

South Florida Yachting Legend Passes

Robert “Bob” Roscioli, an icon in the South Florida marine industry, has passed away. Many recognize the name Roscioli from the widely-successful and world-renowned Roscioli Yachting Center, a full service shipyard catering to South Florida’s marine industry. Bob built this business as a passion project, and because of his attention to detail and unique skill,

Other Posts

Four key steps

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text] What a crazy time we are all experiencing. Right now, getting back to basics is most important. It is not and will not be business as usual right away. As leaders, you need to do the right thing to create an atmosphere of support with processes.

Pandemic adds to worries about hurricane season

An above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from

The difference between leading and managing

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text] Leadership and management are often misunderstood as one in the same. They are not. Certainly, a good leader should be able to manage and vice versa. But, it is important to understand the difference. Both are important to the success of an organization. The key difference

Flattening the housing curve in a pandemic

By Josh Migdal In the classic film Groundhog Day (and yes, it is a classic), Bill Murray’s character wakes up over and over again in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, reliving the same day for (presumably) eternity. Every morning, the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. playing I Got You Babe, assuring both the protagonist and the viewer